On Tuesday 18th May the Koko was brimming with fans and people who’d come down to catch the second UK performance of Maria Rita. Continue Reading

Tucson-Havana
Amparo Sanchez
Pias Records

On her first solo album, Spain’s no 1 Mestizo diva and founder of the seminal Amparanoia brings together alt-country stylings thanks to collaborators from the band Calexico and Cuban influences with recordings at Havana’s legendary Egrem studios. Musically it’s an intoxicating blend that brilliantly straddles two worlds, at once conjuring the feel of a backroom diner in the Arizonan desert, and an old Cuban music hall whilst Amparo’s vocals maintain her unique Spanish vibe. Lilting Mariahci horns, atmospheric ballads, reggae-inflected bolero and a duet with Buena Vista heavyweight Omara Portuondo. At times it’s indulgently meandering but definitely worth it for the epic scope. [Don't forget, if you dig this you'll be able to catch Amparo Sanchez live at La Linea Festival, which will be taking place in April - plus we have tickets to some of the La Linea gigs up for grabs!].

Mulatu Steps Ahead
Mulatu Astake
Strut records

Ethiopian Jazz legend Mulatu follows up last year’s glorious Inspiration Information album alongside the Heliocentrics, and whilst some members of the Helios do pop up here (as well as guests from the Boston based Ether Orchestra), the whole set is clearly lacking the vibrant input they brought to that project. Mostly there’s a pedestrian jazzy vibe, which works in places but generally the whole thing feels a little half-baked. However some of the old Ethiopiques magic is captured on a re-recording of the classic I Faram Gami I, fattening up its rolling Latin flavours and Mulatu’s Mood injects some seriously funky West African vibes and Kora into the mix.

Flight to Brazil
Madlib
Stones Throw

Given the title, it’s hard to think of Flight  to Brazil as anything other than a musical journey. Prolific Los Angeles beatmaker Madlib is your tour-guide, and he certainly covers a lot of ground, taking in everything from landmarks like Mas Que Nada to the most obscure Brasilian rock and psychedelia. Not always a smooth ride, this “mix” isn’t so much mixed as thrown together, but somehow it works. You definitely won’t get bored, as few of the tracks go on for more than a minute. Flight to Brazil is the second instalment in Madlib’s monthly Medicine Show series, and comes beautiful.

Sonando Ya!
Sierra Maestra
World VillageRecords

The Cuban group Sierra Maestra release their new CD Sonando Ya this month with 13 contagious songs. Since 1976, Sierra Maestra has been mixing classics of the Golden Age with newly written songs, becoming popular in Cuba and around the world because of this randomness. After a considerable lull of some 40 years, they are now back with five of the nine original members on board. The album is full of rhythm and beats and infectious songs such as Perdona mi Traicion written by Omar Boza, current director of the Septeto Cubanacan, and ‘Pal’ monte’ written by Erden Hernandez, with more contemporary elements than usual.

A musical homage to a footballing legend
Sounds of a lifetime

Leo Gandelman’s Garrincha soundtrack to the film of the same name (based on Ruy Castro’s excellent biography), conveys the twofold story of the crooked-legged ‘Joy of the People’ footballer Garrincha – his professional triumph and personal hardship. The first half contains uplifting tracks like the energetic batucada Escola, and Futebol na Areia, with its enchanting accordion-led melody. Abertura is also full of the polished jazz-samba sound often found in Far Out releases. The second half has a much darker, more atmospheric and often experimental feel to it: from the eerie Decadente Psicodélico to the cello’s lament of Hospital. This quirky score is a collection of charming and original sounds, but with numerous tracks cut short and a certain absence of linkage from one track to the next, it can make for a frustrating listen. JD

EL TURISTA
JOSH ROUSE
BEDROOM CLASSICS

It does sound a bit weird: what’s a guy from Nebraska doing, using Brazilian grooves and orchestration á la Tom Jobim, to sing songs in Spanish? Having lived in Valencia for a good part of the last decade, Josh Rouse has been soaking up the Spanish sun for long enough (and enjoying an affair with Brazilian tunes since 2003), to feel confident enough to take the risk. El Turista proves that the gamble paid off. From syncopated songs like ‘Duerme’ to the hints of Os Novos Baianos in the guitars of ‘Las Voces’, the Brazilian inspirations work well. There is another kind of visit to the Americas with homage to the late Cuban musician Bola de Nieve on ‘Mesie Julian’, with great Fender Rhodes solos. Big, beautiful orchestration also gives a lush, hazy feel to the album, like having a sangria on a warm Sunday afternoon.